Self-proclaimed conspiratorial thinker Shamus Mac claims that the modern state is a direct descendent of rule by divine mandate. To that end, he argues that the modern nation-state is a form of compulsory religion, where inhabitants are controlled by the monopoly of force held by the state. For Shamus, the word "religion" means a set of binding beliefs and vows - which he sees as the foundation for human relationships with their governments the world over.   Our conversation strays from the idea of the state as a compulsory religion to cover the assessment of information, the meaning of science, and perhaps most importantly - the merits and dangers of statehood, regardless of its parallels with compulsory religion. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section, humans!  SciAm article discussed in the episode:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-drawn-to-conspiracy-theories-share-a-cluster-of-psychological-features/  Find Shamus' Rational School at https://rationalschool.com and his podcast, Church of State, at https://churchofstate.com/  Subscribe & like so we can bring you more conversations!!!  Podcast version available at all usual locations: https://anchor.fm/demystifying-science  More readings from us: https://demystifyingscience.com/blog  Join the DemystifyingScience mailing list:  http://eepurl.com/gRUCZL  Let's talk!  @DemystifySci Twitter: https://twitter.com/demystifysci Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demystifysci Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/demystifysci ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Music: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shilo Delay:  https://soundcloud.com/laterisgone